68 - State/city allocations of permanent housing projects for homeless families.

§  68.  State/city  allocations  of  permanent  housing  projects  for  homeless families. 1. No contract shall be entered into by the agency or  its  designee  in  connection  with  the  administration  of   projects,  including  the payment of project costs, unless the agency is assured to  its satisfaction that the  city  has  provided  or  will  provide  fifty  percent  of  such  costs to the agency or its designee.  Moneys received  from sources other than the city or  the  state  may,  at  the  agency's  discretion,   be   expended   without   regard   to   such   limitation.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, payments, grants  and  loans  may be deposited by the agency directly with a lending institution at or  before  the time of initial loan closing pursuant to an escrow agreement  satisfactory to the agency.    2. Moneys expended by the agency for  the  purposes  of  this  article  shall   not   substitute   for   locally  funded  operating  or  capital  expenditures which the city would  have  allocated  through  its  normal  budgetary  process  to  programs  that  provide  permanent  housing  for  homeless families in the absence of the funds provided for this program.  All such moneys shall be used to increase locally  funded  operating  or  capital  expenditures  for  permanent housing for homeless families to a  level which is greater than the level which would have existed  if  such  moneys  had not been provided by the state.  Nothing in this subdivision  shall require the city to allocate funds for housing programs if in  the  city's judgment such allocation would require an increase in taxation or  a reduction in other city services.